Thill-coupling



No.l M3426.- Patented Nov. l, |898. c. F. SANDERS & J. T. swEAmNGEN.

THlLL COUPLING.

(Application led Mar. 21, 189B.)

` 'l null'. E @im i w l CHRISTIAN F. SANDERS AND JOHN T.' SVEARIN GEN, OF I-IEDRIOK, IOWA.

THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part 0f Letters Patent N0. 613,426, dated November 1, 1898.

Application led March 21,1898. Serial No. 674,673. (No model.) i

To all whom it 1v1/ay concern:

Be it known that we, CHRISTIAN F. SANDnRs and JOHN T. SWEARINenN, citizens of the United States, residing at Hedrick, in the county of Keokuk and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Thillv-Oouplin g, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in thill-couplings.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of thill-couplings and to provide a simple, inexpensive, and efficient device capable of preventing noise and rattling and adapted to permit a pair of thills or a pole to be readily attached to or uncoupled from a vehicle.

A further object of the invention is to prevent a thill-iron from becoming accidentally disconnected from the bearings of an axleclip when a vehicle is passing over a rough road. n

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

1n lthe drawings, Figure v1 is a perspective View of a thill-coupling constructedv in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the thm-iron, the plates which form the flanges being in position. Figs. 5 and 6 are detail perspective views of the plates which form the Iianges of the eye of the thill-iron. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective View of the cap or coverof the bearing-box of the axle-clip. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a modiiication of the invention. Fig. 9 is a detail perspective View of a thill-iron having integral iianges for engaging the bearing-box of the axle-cli p. Fig. O is a vertical sectional View on line 10 10 of i1ig. 3.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the ligures of the drawings.

1 designatesa bearing-box mounted on an axle-clip 2 and adapted to receive the eye or rear end of a thill-iron 3 and provided with a hinged cover 4, adapted to bear `on the thilliron to form an antirattler. The'bearingbox, which is provided at its front with an opening 4a for the reception of the thill-iron 3 and to permit the same to play vertically incident to horse motion, is provided at 0pposite sides with grooves 5, adapted to be engaged by anges of the eye of the thilliron. The opening 4aM is of less Width than theaxle-box, and the grooves 5, which re ceive the flanges, are formed inthe bottom and front wall of the bearing-box at opposite sides of the opening 4.

The flanges, which are located at the ends of the eye o the thill-iron', are preferably formed by plates 7 and 8, detachably interlocked with the thill-iron; but they may, as illustrated in Figs.,8 and 9, be formed integral with the same. The plates 7 and 8, which are substantially segmental, the flan ges being cut away at the top, are provided at their inner faces with lugs 9, which interlock with recesses 10 at the top and bottom of the eye of the thill-iron, andthe plate 8 is provided with a pin 11, passing through the eye of the thilliron. By this construction flanges may be 'readily provided at the ends of an ordinary thill-iron to enable the improvements to be applied to a` vehicle without necessitating any change in the thill-irons except the notches or recesses 10.

The lid f4, which is hinged at one side of the bearing-box', at 12, is provided at its inner face with an'enlargement 13 and is secured when closed by a spring'catch 14. The

` enlargement 13 is provided With curved bearing-faces 15, which when the lid or cover is closed complete the bearing of the bearingbox. The spring-catch consists of a strip of resilient material secured to the outer face of the bearing-box at one end thereof, preferably in a recess, so that its outer face will be flush With the face of the bearing-box, and the upper end of the spring projects above the bearing-box and is coiled or otherwise bent to form a shoulder at its inner side for engaging the free end of the lid or cover.

In order to prevent the thill-iron from being jolted out of the bearing-box when a'vehicle is passing over a rut or obstruction, the flanges are provided with lugs 16, extending upward or rearward and adapted to interlock with vcorresponding recesses 17, arranged at opposite sides of the enlargement 13 of the IOO lid or cover. The lid or cover is provided at its hinged end with a Hange, and the bearing-box has an opening near its upper edge, the connecting portion at the top of the opening being rounded to form a pintle and the liange of the lid or cover being bent around the same to form an eye.

In Figs. 8 and 9 of the accompanying drawings the flanges of the thill-iron are formed integral with the rounded portion 18, which is arranged within the bearing-box, and the thill-iron 19 is provided adjacent to the portion 18 with a projection or lip 19, forming a hook and adapted to engage a recess of the enlargement of the lid or cover to prevent the thill-iron from being jolted out of the bearing-box. The integral flanges 2l of the thill-iron 19 interlock with grooves of the bearing-box, similar to the lianges before described.

The invention has the following advantages: The thillcoupling, which is simple and comparatively inexpensive in construction, enables a pair of thills and a pole to be readily coupled to and uncoupled from a vehicle by swinging the thills or poles upward after the lid or cover has been opened; but should the thills swing upward incident to a vehicle passing over a rut or obstruction the thilliron will interlock with the cover and will be prevented from jolting out of the bearing-box. The lid or cover bears upon the thill-iron and prevents the parts from rattling. The flanges, which interlock with the grooves of the bearing-box, may be formed integral with the thill-iron, or they may be applied to the ordinary thill-iron, which is provided with an eye.

Changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construct-ion may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Vhat we claim is- 1. In a thill-coupling, the combination of a bearing-box having an opening at its front and provided at opposite sides with bearings having grooves, a chill-iron arranged in the opening of the bearing-box and having a rounded portion journaled in the said bearings, and anges arranged at the ends of the rounded portion and interlocked with the said grooves, substantially as described.

2. In a thill-coupling, the combination of a bearing-box having grooves at its ends, a thill-iron having an eye arranged in the bearing-box, and plates detachably interlocked with the ends of the eye and engaging the grooves of the bearing-box, substantially as described.

3. In a thill-coupling, the combination of a bearing-box having grooves, a thill-iron journaled in the bearing-box and provided at the ends of its eye with recesses, and plates arranged at the ends of the eye, projecting beyond the same to form flanges and provided with lugs interlocked with the recesses, substantially as described.

4. In a thill-coupling, the combination of a bearing-box having an opening, a lid or cover hinged at its rear edge to the bearingbox, and a thill-iron journaled in and interlocked with the bearing-box and adapted to be removed therefrom when swung upward to a vertical position, said thill-iron being provided with means for engaging the front edge of the lid or cover when itis swung upward, whereby it is prevented from being jolted out of the bearing-box, substantially as described.

5. In a thill-coupling, the combination of a bearing-box, a lid hinged at its rear edge to the bearing-box and provided at its front edge with a recess, and a thill-iron journaled in the bearing-box and provided with a hookshaped projection arranged to engage the recess when the thill-iron swings upward, substantially as described.

6. In a thill-coupling, the combination of a bearing-box having grooves, alid provided with opposite recesses, a thill-iron having an eye arranged within the bearing-box, plates interlocked with the eye of the thill-iron, forming anges and provided with lugs to engage the said recesses, substantially as described.

7. In a thill-coupling, the combination of a bearing-box having grooves, a lid having recesses, and a thill jourualed in the bearing-box and provided at the ends of its eye portion with flanges having hook-shaped lugs or projections to engage the said recesses, substantially as described.

8. In a thill-coupling, the combination of a bearing-box provided at its front with an opening and having grooves at opposite sides thereof, a thill-iron journaled in the bearingbox and provided at the ends of its eye portion with flanges to interlock with the said grooves, and a lid or cover provided with an enlargement having bearing-faces and engagin g the thill-iron to prevent the same from rattling, substantially as described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto alxed our signatures in the presence of two Witnesses.

CHRISTIAN F. SANDERS. JOHN T. SVEARINGEN. Vitnesses:

WM. H. DILLoN, WILLIAM HINEs.

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